SPOTLIGHT

Slippery Rock University is committed to fully informing its community regarding budget developments. This site has been created to provide faculty, students, staff and other visitors with timely updates, planning processes, and communication regarding the 2013/14 University budget. Please consult this page regularly for the latest information

The suggestion to take away the tuition waiver benefit is unfair and unwise. It is unfair to employees who have worked 20+ years and now finally have kids ready for college only to be denied this benefit. It is unwise because tuition-waived students still have to pay fees and other expenses. If my kid isn't going to get tuition waiver, he isn't going to attend SRU. It is impossible for most of us to make good, feasible budget suggestions because we don't have all the information. By this I mean, those who control and count the money are the only ones who know the real deal. For example, I heard one table at Old Main cost 15,000 dollars . . . is that true?? I don't know. So I guess my sugguestion would be for the University and the Commonwealth to hire new financial advisors and accountants because the ones we've had for the last decade apparently made bad decisions, or we wouldn't be in this mess. Instead, some low-level schmo like me will probably get laid off, while the financial "wizards" will probably get a raise. Lastly, SRU has a police chief, an assistant chief, and a parking office manager. There used to be ONE chief. Why are there three "managers" now? One good manager could delegate all tasks to the shift supervisors and the dept. secretary. Immediate savings of $150,000.

Here are several ideas for the budget – 1) Increase parking costs. Most schools I have been at have charged $50+ for students to park on campus and they couldn’t even park at their halls! 2) Potentially freeze the budget on any out of state travel for conferences for a time period. This will stop attendance at high cost conferences. 3) When different divisions have luncheons or gatherings for the departments, give them a limit on what amount is allowed to be spent. A chef’s choice buffet is a lot cheaper than the make your own salad buffet. 4) Avoid buying multiple shirts/polos for staff for special events such as WOW weekend. Encourage departments to only purchase shirts for new staff members. 5) Further examine every department’s individual budget to ensure monies are being spentappropriately and not being abused or spent on useless resources. Do we really need to give every student on campus a water bottle? 6) Implement a requirement that Freshmen and Sophomores must stay on campus to ensure suites and residence halls are filled. 7) Only have a shuttle bus for off campus shuttles. There is no need for an on campus bus as the campus is not that big and students canwalk. 8) If at all possible, don’t increase the costs of tuition and housing to keep college affordable to make it more attractive that students will want to come. 9) It’s nice to send a message out about birthdays but maybe no cake to save money – it’s the thought that counts after all! 10) Maybe not have the health center 24 hour – this is not common among many schools.

30 years ago SRU food service employees were State employees, 20 years ago janitorial staff were State employees. SRU has outsourced various functionsover the years. I don't want to see anyone lose a job, but in this tough fiscal environment, it is prudent to conduct a rigorous cost-benefit analysis of having auxilary services delivered by state employees vs outsourcing these services including police, health services, recreation services, student housing, technology, maintenance, facility management (Student Center, etc) and other non-instructional/core function services. Independent management firms offer these services for for-profit businesses as well as schools/colleges and may be able to do so at less cost to SRU as has been the case with food andjanitorial services.

Cut construction work and operations at SRU during the fall, winter, and spring. Or just cut it entirely except foressential maintenance. We don't need all these new sidewalks and landscape decor, and us students most certainly do not appreciate all the week-day construction work going on all around campus while we're trying to study. Ialso think we can tone down the heavy lawn mowing equipment, golf carts, and leaf blowers to more simple and energy-efficient things, like brooms, rakes, and push-mowers.

Last Friday, the Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees officially approved the fiscal year 2013-14 budget.As I shared with you earlier this year in my State of the University address, we started the fiscal year with a $5.2 million structural budget deficit. Through the efforts of many people, we were able to present the trustees with a balanced budget.